


Does Love Come with a Booklet too?

by WhumpTown



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Malcolm Bright Needs a Hug, Mental Health Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-05 08:07:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21204905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhumpTown/pseuds/WhumpTown
Summary: Dani runs into a booklet about mental health and something makes her take it.





	Does Love Come with a Booklet too?

Working with Malcolm proves to be a very unique experience. Dani finally puts to use all of her emergency medicine skills, most of them anyway. She spends way too much of her time with Malcolm. It seems like every time she turns around Gil’s standing in the doorway of his office looking exhausted and asking her if she’ll do him a favor. Then she spends twenty to thirty minutes patching up Malcolm’s hand because, according to him, he was holding a glass of water and he accidentally shattered it. Plus, he was at his therapist’s when it happened.

His stories are creative but, like the water glass and therapist story, she doesn’t believe them. She trusts him because he’s harmless and she… She can’t do what JT does. He just sits back at his desk, watches Malcolm. They banter and exchange conversations but it’s always murder related. She is drawn to him and that’s 95% Gil’s fault. She can’t just cut Malcolm out. 

For the first time in weeks, Gil actually partners her up with JT. They’re just out for a steak out. One of those nights where Malcolm leaves early, hands trembling and his voice a little hoarse. He never offers them an explanation as to what he does but she knows he’s not sleeping. That leaves her and JT to sit in the car all night, New York’s chilly wind ripping through their old cruiser, and drinking cups upon cups of warm coffee. 

She’s finally finished the cup of coffee JT bought her. He’d made both of their’s the way he likes it, one sugar and no creamer. Like a mad man. So as she swallows the rest of her coffee, she opens the door. Praying, hoping to get some tea or at least coffee that doesn’t taste like JT made it. 

“I want a Slurpee!”

She turns around, half out of the car, and scowls. He’s still looking at her, waiting for her to agree to get him a Slurpee or not. She rolls her eyes,” fine. I’ll get you some sunflower seeds but they had best be spit into a cup or out that window.” She slams the door and JT smiles. Nothing really hits the spot like a steak out Slurpee.

Dani is aggravated. She’s out of the loop with what’s happening with Malcolm. He’s stopped telling her things, doesn’t go out of his way to make jokes about himself. He doesn’t pull away from conversations with Gil to grin and ask her to agree with him in saying he looks like shit. And he does, look like shit.

“That’ll be seven dollars.” 

She’s got JT’s stupid Slurpee and now a red forefinger from the way it’s spilled over the top. She went as far as to pick up an extra cup so JT won’t have an excuse for spitting seeds anywhere but the cup. They didn’t have her tea, the best they had to offer was a variety of over-sweetened iced teas in the refrigerated section. So she settled with a Gatorade and an Oatmeal pie. 

It doesn’t exactly catch her eye. It’s bland, colored blue and grey. The first word catches her eye and she can’t look away. **‘In Sickness and in Mental Health: Living with and Loving Someone with Mental Illness.** She picks it up.

“Have a good evening, ma’am.” 

Dani tucks the small booklet into her back pocket before exiting, the last thing she needs is JT seeing this. She and Malcolm aren’t a thing, not at all but maybe if she can-

“The hell is that in your back pocket?” 

She distracts JT with his Slurpee and sunflower seeds. That’s the last he says of it, thank God. The booklet still ways heavy in her pocket. The nights long and she itches to see if she can learn something. 

It’s not to fix him, she doesn’t mean to seek some natural solution. She wants to understand him. He’s got so many quirks and habits, she wants to be there. To see him the way Gil does and not loathe the sloppy way his handwriting jerks or the micro-sleeps that seem to plague him every few days. 

“Hey,” JT moves in the car, suddenly sitting upright and tense. His hand goes to his hip, to his weapon. “Do you see that?” There’s a figure, a few yards out, approaching at a quick pace. It seems like it’s jogging.

Dani puts her hand out, stopping from JT moving out of the car. “Is that-?” She recognizes the odd way the figure runs and sure enough, it’s Bright. He runs straight up to the car, to Dani’s side. He knocks twice on the window, giving them a little wave.

“Do I have to let him in?”

Dani hides her smiles from them both, biting her lip. “Let him in, JT. He’s probably cold.”

**Author's Note:**

> I need some prompts. What do you guys want to see out of Dani and Malcolm? Or, anything else?


End file.
